It may be hard to believe that one of the most famous entertainers ever was a high school dropout.
Cher struggled with reading all through grade school, and at age 16, she dropped out. Though she found out at age 30 that she had dyslexia, Cher went untested in grade school and her dyslexia was unrecognized—many teachers thought she wasn’t trying.
"I never read in school," Cher said in an interview. "I got really bad grades, D’s and F’s and C’s in some classes, and A’s and B’s in other classes. In the second week of the 11th grade, I just quit. When I was in school, it was really difficult. Almost everything I learned, I had to learn by listening. My report cards always said that I was not living up to my potential."
Like her mother, Cher took up acting. She enrolled in classes in Los Angeles, and soon after she met Sonny Bono. Sonny was successful in the music industry, and together, they recorded hits such as "I Got You Babe" and "Baby Don’t Go." They also created "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" and became famous media personalities.
Cher also was successful on her own. She recorded hits such as "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Believe," and "I Found Someone." She also became an actress and starred in Mask [2] and the 2010 movie Burlesque [3].
Though as an actress, reading scripts might be difficult, Cher said in an interview that she reads her script slowly at first and has no problem memorizing it. Her dyslexia may slow her down in reading, but it didn’t hinder her from becoming a great actress and singer.
To read more about Cher’s dyslexia, read this archived Associated Press article [4].
